SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH – John Rave drove in 5 runs as the Omaha Storm Chasers (11-11/44-52) took down the Salt Lake Bees (9-13/48-48) on Tuesday 9-8. Rave went 3-for-4, falling a triple shy of the cycle, while 5 other Storm Chasers had extra-base hits in the 3-run win, Omaha’s season-high 5th straight victory.
The Bees opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st inning with an RBI single and 2-run home run off Omaha starter Henry Williams to take a 3-0 lead.
The Storm Chasers responded with a trio of runs in the top of the 3rd inning, starting with an RBI single from Jack Pineda for his first career Triple-A hit. Major League rehabber Kyle Isbel followed with an RBI triple, and John Rave plated Isbel to tie the game 3-3.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Bees took the lead back 5-3 on a 2-run single off Williams, then the game hit a nearly 45-minute rain delay during the first at-bat of the top of the 4th inning.
Ben Sears (5-1) took over for Williams to begin the bottom of the 4th inning and worked a scoreless frame.
Gavin Cross led off the top of the 5th inning with a double, then Rave brought him home with a 2-run home run to tie the game 5-5.
Once again, Salt Lake stole back the lead in the bottom of the 5th inning on a sacrifice fly off Sears, but Omaha took its first lead of the game right after that.
In the top of the 6th inning, John Rave plated 2 runs on a double, then Abraham Toro drove in Rave with a double of his own. Brett Squires capped of the frame with an RBI double, scoring Toro and extending the Storm Chasers’ lead to 9-6.
Jose Cuas navigated a bases-loaded jam for a scoreless bottom of the 6th inning, but Anthony Gose pitched the bottom of the 7th inning and gave up a 2-run home run to cut the Storm Chasers’ lead to 9-8.
Omaha sent Gose back out for the bottom of the 8th inning, but after he put runners on 1st and 2nd base with one out, the Storm Chasers called on Justin Topa, who finished the frame by striking out a pair to keep the Bees from scoring.
Topa returned for the bottom of the 9th inning and stuck out two more to earn his second save of the year and finish the 9-8 victory, with Luca Tresh catching a runner stealing to end the game.
The Storm Chasers will return to The Ballpark at America First Square on Wednesday for the second game of their series with the Bees. First pitch is set for 7:35 P.M. CT and Bailey Falter is scheduled to start for Omaha.